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5 Ways Financial Candidates Can Get More From LinkedIn

Although Facebook and Twitter may be the most popular social media sites amongst the general public, job seekers – and especially financial and accounting candidates in Montréal – will know that LinkedIn is one of the Internet’s most important and valuable job search tools.

The reason is simple: LinkedIn is largely populated and used by professionals, executives, and decision-makers. And so, it only takes one great referral, introduction, or impression to speed you on the path to the right opening.

Here are five quick tips for making the most of LinkedIn and using it to find your next accounting or financial job:

1. Complete and customize your profile. It isn’t enough to simply be “on” LinkedIn; if you really hope to find the financial or accounting jobs you’re looking for, you should have a complete profile with your photo, resume, and recommendations from former clients or employers.

2. Have a strategy for making new contacts every week. While you certainly don’t want to just add anyone as a contact, the more people you know, the better chance you have of finding accounting employment opportunities that haven’t been advertised. In other words, a wider net is more likely to pay dividends than a small circle of colleagues.

3. Join relevant groups in the financial and accounting industry. Joining groups and participating in discussions doesn’t just help you meet other financial and accounting professionals (something that’s important on its own), but also helps you to show off your expertise and see what your colleagues consider to be hot topics.

4. Double-check your LinkedIn profile contact information. It’s important that colleagues, potential employers, and even financial recruiting companies like ours be able to reach you. What’s more, you should ensure that the e-mail and telephone details you provide won’t cause problems by going to your current office or employer.

5. Be careful about what you share publicly. Likewise, you don’t want to begin a very public search for employment if it could cause problems with your current company. Treat LinkedIn as you would any social media site and think carefully before posting personal or confidential details.

Be sure to stop back soon to see more tips on getting a financial or accounting job from the Exceleris team, or schedule a time to talk to us about your next opportunity.

In 2004, I founded Exceleris. In addition to managing all recruitment aspects of Exceleris, I have consulted (as CFO or in similar roles) with a number of technology companies (both publicly traded and venture funded start-ups)....